Provincial budget delivers on old promises, spends on communities

This is the last budget of Harpauer’s career as the province gears up for an election this fall and she has decided to not run again in her seat of Humboldt – Watrous.

The general 2024-25 budget for Sask.

As always, the largest share of funding goes to health, followed by education. Both of those portfolios are seeing large increases in their allocations.

Revenues are projected to be lower than was expected last year, but every area of government expenditure has seen an increase except for economic development.

Still, the budget promises to add 250 seats in trades to meet a growing demand for housing and the needs of large industrial developments such as the Jansen potash mine near Humboldt. Harpauer pointed out that one of the reasons the budget has grown is that the population and investment have also grown.

She also said the increase in spending is coming without an increase in taxes. At the same time, while the numbers show a shrinking budget deficit they also show an increase in financing costs.

Next year, $911 million will be spent on financing debt, compared to the budget of $812 million from last year.

By 2025-26, the budget is expected to be back to surplus position but this year the debt load will hit $21 billion, an increase of $3 billion over last year.

This year’s budget did not result in any new major projects in Prince Albert but work is ongoing on previously announced projects, like the $180 million expansion to the Victoria Hospital.

Also included in today’s budget release is a reminder that the Saskatchewan Marshal Service will begin hiring to be ready for 2026 operations ($7 million). That service will be headquartered in Prince Albert.

Another $2.2 million will be spent on improved NICU and pediatrics and of that, $1.6 million will be spent in Prince Albert (the NICU was upgraded two years ago but staffing remains an ongoing challenge).

In the area of mental health, $2.4 million will be spent on psychiatric supports split between Saskatoon and Prince Albert.

No youth psychiatric services have been available in Prince Albert for two years after both psychiatrists left and replacements have yet to be found. Patients that would normally stay in Prince Albert are instead sent to Saskatoon or Regina.

An unspecified amount of increase will go towards Mobile Crisis Units, including the existing unit in Prince Albert.

In the area of education, a hot topic right now with ongoing teacher job action as they look for a new contract, the province said it will spend a record $3.8 billion, more than an eight per cent bump over last year.

Teachers across Saskatchewan spent budget day rallying in public places rather than in the classroom. (Susan McNeil/paNOW)

Teachers say they want the province to put funding into their contract to address classroom complexity and size. The new budget promises $40 million but so far, the province has signed a deal with school boards yet has refused to add a clause to the STF contract.

According to teachers, this allows the province to pull back funding too easily in the future.

A project that was first announced in 2020, the new kindergarten to Grade 12 school in Lanigan is included in the 2024 budget, as is the replacement building for École Valois, first announced in last year’s budget.

Another project announced one year ago is still on the books in La Loche as the province plans to replace the Ducharme Elementary School with a new facility.

A new gymnasium will be built for Moswakanisihk Community School in Jans Bay, near Île-à-la-Crosse and renovations will happen at the St. John Community School in Prince Albert.

Funding is being set aside for a renovation and ‘right-sizing’ of the school in Kelvington.

Another item on the wish list for the Northern Lights School Division was the replacement of the high school in Pinehouse Lake and that is part of the new budget.

Also in the North, the province said today it will spend $27 million on a new long-term care building in La Ronge, which started construction last July.

A new service centre will be built at the La Ronge Provincial Park and the water system at the Narrow Hills Provincial Park will be upgraded.

The drug treatment court in North Battleford will be expanded at a cost of $120,000 and a new detention centre will be constructed at the Kings Bench Court House in the Battlefords.

Of the $1.5 million being spent across the province to improve ICU capacity, one of the new positions will be in Battlefords.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

by Susan McNeil

Provincial budget delivers on old promises, spends on communities

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